In William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet a tragic hero arises from Verona by the name of Romeo. A tragic hero is defined as a protagonist who is destine to suffer and encounter a downfall. By way of example, Prince says “For never was a story of more woe/ Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.” The lines above demonstrate that Romeo endures a great deal of pain and meaningful suffering throughout the play. Romeo is considered a tragic hero because he is of noble birth, strikes fear into the audience through his demise and allows his tragic character flaw to influence his choices which consequently leads to his downfall.
Romeo is of noble birth because he is virtuous, Respected by others and born into a family with high social status. In the play, Romeo demonstrates virtue when he feels remorse, asks Paris' corpse for forgiveness and refuses to fight both Tybalt and Paris. It is inferred that the Montagues are of high social status because Romeo's mother and father aren't called by their given names, but instead are addressed as Lady and Lord Montague. Lastly, it is evident that Romeo is respected by others when Lord Capulet allows him to remain at the Capulet party and says to Tybalt:
He bears him like a portly gentlemen,/ And, to say truth, Verona brags of him/To be a virtuous and well-governed youth./ I wouldn't for the wealth of this town/ Here in my house do him disparagement (I.v.66-70).
These lines demonstrate that Lord Capulet believes that Romeo is a dignified gentlemen with a reputation in Verona for being virtuous and well behaved. To conclude, Romeo is virtuous,respected, and born of high social status that makes him of noble birth.
In the play, Romeo instills fear into the audience when he fights both Tyba...
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... committing suicide are influenced by his impulsiveness.
In the play Romeo and Juliet there is plenty of evidence that Romeo is a tragic hero. Romeo is of noble birth due to being virtuous, respected and of high social status. Also, Romeo's character flaw of impulsiveness influences his actions such as marrying Juliet, killing Tybalt and committing suicide.
In addition, Romeo strikes fear into the audience when he fights both Tybalt and Paris, tries to stab himself and drinks some poison as Juliet is waking up. In conclusion, Romeo is considered a tragic hero due to his noble family, his ability to strike fear into the audience and makes choices influenced by his character flaw which leads to his downfall.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. International Thompson Publishing Limited, 1997
Romeo Montague, age 16, died due to poison on August 14, 1595, in the tomb of the Capulets. Born on December 16, 1579, Romeo lived a short life, but it was a full of love, heartbreak and fun. Romeo was the only son of the Capulet family. He was loved dearly by both his mother and father, Lord and Lady Montague and many others. Romeo is survived by his parents, Lord and Lady Montague, of Verona; his relatives, Benvolio and Mercutio (Dead), of Verona; and his servant, Balthasar. A great leader and strong role model, Romeo knew when to have fun and when to fool around with his friends.
The first reason why the play is a traditional tragedy is that the hero, Romeo, possesses a major flaw which leads him into much trouble and eventually his demise: his fiery, impetuous nature. In one of the many brawls between the Capulets and the Montagues, Romeo displays his rashness. In this encounter, Tybalt and Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend, joke around as they are dueling, but the duel takes a turn for the worse when Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo, devastated by the death of his best friend and hell-bent on avenging it, challenges Tybalt to a duel. Romeo kills Tybalt out of anger and is banished from Verona, separated from his love Juliet. The punishment does not fit the crime, but it cannot be denied that Romeo brought it upon himself. He acknowledges his own rash behavior by saying, “Oh, I am fortune’s fool!” (III, i, 99). If he could have controlled his temper, the whole fight would have been avoided. Not only is Romeo impulsive in battles...
When there is a fight in the market place, Capulet rushes to fight for his honor, “my sword I say, old Montague is come...” Capulet denies Paris’ request to marry Juliet “ and too soon marred are those so early made,” acting for his own good because he wants Juliet to produce many offspring to carry on the Capulets bloodline, since she is his only surviving child. When at the ball Capulet demands Tybalt to let Romeo be,” content thee, gentle coz, let him alone,” but this just fuels Tybalts anger towards Romeo, which eventually ends up in Tybalt causing his own death. Capulet believes he is giving his child the best when he announces her engagement to Paris” she shall be married to this noble earl,” and believes Paris will make a good husband for Juliet. When Juliet refuses Capulet thinks it best to threaten her, “I will drag thee,” but this just makes Juliet turn to more drastic measures.
What do you define a tragic hero as? In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is seen as tragic hero by Aristotle’s tragic hero characteristics. The six tragic hero characteristics are having noble greatness, being imperfect, having a downfall that is partially their own fault, their misfortune is not wholly deserved, fall is not pure loss, and some good has come from the hero’s death. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is a tragic hero because he has noble stature or greatness, his downfall is partially his fault, and some good has come from his death.
Romeo married Juliet even though she was supposed to be his sworn enemy. He also did not want to fight with Tybalt because even though Tybalt didn’t know that they were now cousins Romeo knew and he didn’t want to bring any harm to him. Lord Capulet had portrayed this message when he was throwing his party. Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio had decided to sneak into the party that was being thrown by Lord Capulet and Tybalt had found out that Romeo was there. After Tybalt had found this out, he asked someone to fetch him his rapier.
A tragic hero is a person of noble birth or potentially heroic qualities. The role of a tragic hero is common in many of Shakespeare's plays such as Macbeth. The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. A tragic hero often has a noble background. This person is predominantly good, but suffers a terrible fate falling out due to glitches in their personality. The tragic hero has a monstrous downfall, brought out by their fatal flaw. Macbeth is named a tragic hero because he learns through suffering, he is isolated, and he exhibits personal courage in his acceptance of death.
being in love with Rosaline. Mean while, at the Capulet home, Paris asks approval to
William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare, tells the story of too unfortunate lovers caught up in their family’s hatred which in the end leads to the tragic deaths of both lovers. Classical Greek tragedy influenced Renaissance writers greatly Shakespeare was no exception. According to the dictionary, fate is ‘the supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines event.’ Which means that it is out of our hands.
...does not follow through with her responsibilities. Lastly, Romeo is impetuous in many different senses throughout the play, such as his sense of love, pride, and actions. Ultimately, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is forever considered to be a true Aristotelian tragedy.
Lord Capulet is a very trusting. He trusts Paris with his daughter, knowing that he would be a good husband to her. “Sir Paris, I will make a desperate tender / Of my child’s love. I think she will be ruled / In all respects by me. Nay, more, I doubt it not-“ (3.5.13-15). He believes that Paris will keep his word and love Juliet. After the death of Tybalt, he is sorrowful, and I think that is one of the reasons he trusts that Juliet will agree with this marriage. When Romeo, at the beginning of the play, shows up at the Capulet party, Tybalt is angered. He tells Capulet that he would kill Romeo if he had his permission. Even though Romeo was of the Montague family, he still trusted him not to do anything bad at the party.
Romeo shows many characteristics which allow him to become the play's tragic hero The first characteristic of a tragic hero that Romeo possesses is he is very impulsive. he thinks without acting which is another reason he is dead,and how he gets ahead of himself which leads to him and getting into trouble.Romeo spends days and nights cooped up in his room, not talking to anyone and then suddenly decides he has fallen in love all over again. “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.” ( act 1 scene 1-2 shakespear...
Romeo is seen as a tragic hero because of the many examples of his good and bad character. This follows Aristotle’s definition because it proves him to be a character that is neither completely good nor completely bad. Romeo loves Juliet with kindness and generosity, but to love her is forbidden. Also, he tries to prevent a second fight between the two families in the streets of Verona, but later kills Tybalt, his love’s cousin. These things make Romeo both good and bad, therefore a tragic hero.
Hamlet. Romeo. Othello. These men not only star in some of Shakespeare’s finest plays, but they are all classic examples of tragic heroes. A tragic hero is one who is courageous and admired but who has a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. Othello was one of the greatest military men of the time. He was highly respected among his superiors for both his military prowess and level headed nature. This was a man who could be in the heat of a battle and would remain collected. Though this great hero also had great shortcomings. Othello was naive, jealous, and concerned with public appearance. Othello is truly a dynamic character. As the play continues and his jealous increases, Othello gradually changes from a flawless military general into
A Shakespearean tragic hero may be defined as “an exceptional being of high degree” who contributes to his own degeneration and illustrates a personality flaw. The character of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is in all ways the perfect example of a tragic hero. His greatness and bravery in battle for his country ultimately leads him to be a great thane and eventually a powerful king, making his actions have a significant impact on a country. Macbeth’s ambition on becoming a king leads to an obsession to remain in his current position. His ambition comes to a point where he falls to the temptation of evil which leads to Macbeth’s inevitable downfall. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a brave man whose performance in Scotland’s battle is celebrated.
A Shakespearean tragic hero starts out as a noble person; a great exceptional being who stands out. A tragic hero has a tragic flaw of an exaggerated trait that leads to their downfall and eventually to death. William Shakespeare often made his main characters tragic heroes in his plays. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the role of the tragic hero is given to the main character: Macbeth.